Qualitative research is the rigorous attempt to produce findings or results by describing, explaining and/or interpreting qualitative patterns in terms of words, matrices, pictures, sounds, or other forms of representation; making qualitative research well-suited for discovery-oriented studies focusing on learning perspectives of others and for studying phenomena in naturalistic settings.
The Qualitative Report (ISSN 1052-0147) is a peer-reviewed, on-line bi-monthly journal devoted to reports and discussion of qualitative, critical, action, and collaborative inquiry and research. The Qualitative Report is published by Nova Southeastern University, and its Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/index.html
In 1990, Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D., launched The Qualitative Report as a paper journal in order to give writers and researchers an outlet for expressing themselves in and about qualitative research. The world back then was not so qualitative research-friendly as it is today. It was difficult to find journals totally dedicated to qualitative approaches or ones open to publishing research utilizing such methods. We envisioned the journal as a safe haven for authors and readers to explore these new and strange approaches to discovery and exploration.
In 1994, we took The Qualitative Report online and reached out to a worldwide audience. We have seen our readership and paper submissions increase dramatically, with over 4200 subscribers and approximately 150 papers submitted each year. We have seen a decided improvement in the state of qualitative research as an accepted family of approaches to research and reflection. We have also been witness to the wonderful growth of quality in the field. We have found the emergence of all of these events to be quite fulfilling and rewarding.
Over the years, as we have worked with our authors, we have developed a unique editorial process at The Qualitative Report. Our goal for this process is to help authors to prepare their papers for eventual publication in the journal. The hallmark of The Qualitative Report is not built upon rejection rates; rather, we want to distinguish ourselves by assisting authors to improve themselves and their texts. We strongly believe all authors and their research have merit. Sometimes, that quality is not readily apparent in the text. The goal of this approach is to help authors to develop their ideas and to work collaboratively with their mentors to help them to bring out the best in their work. The tenor of this editorial relationship is one of respect and collaboration. Our mission is to nurture and mentor authors who submit their papers to The Qualitative Report and to support them throughout the paper development process. In doing so, we have envisioned The Qualitative Report as a learning environment, one through which we will commit our collective human and informational resources to help each and every author produce papers of excellence and distinction.
In addition to our bi-monthly journal, we publish a weekly newsletter called The Weekly Qualitative Report. This publication includes the latest news related to qualitative research conferences, jobs, and relevant news items. We also have a Facebook page and Twitter site, and interact with the broad TQR community on a daily basis.
Starting in 2010, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Qualitative Report, we launched the TQR Annual Conference, held at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, each January. This conference brings together scholars, graduate students, and practitioners who study, conduct, and teach qualitative inquiry in order that they can learn from one another and share their knowledge and discoveries in the field of qualitative research. Information about the TQR publications, conference, and social networking sites can be found at the journal’s homepage: http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/index.html
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